workforce
Incidents of elder abuse, particularly when played out in the
media, have always been damaging but they are now potentially a
death knell to an organisation. Groups such as Aged & Community
Services Australia are calling for the development of a national
awareness campaign to educate and change attitudes towards our
older population. They recognise the impact values and beliefs in
the treatment of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
In ACSA’s report, Elder Abuse, it’s recognised that while
mandatory police checks are now in place in aged care, “not all
perpetrators of abuse will have criminal records, so other forms of
staff screening should be considered”. and education alone. One recent study by Consilium Research and
Consultancy on behalf of Skills for Care surveyed 112 social care
organisations. Undertaken in October 2014, the survey revealed that
72 per cent of organisations believed that staff employed and trained
using the values-based method had higher performance levels and
less absenteeism than those employed using traditional methods.
Employers using a values-based approach also reported financial
benefits, such as a clearly identifiable reduction in absenteeism and a
better than 20 per cent reduction in staff turnover.
A VALUES-BASED APPROACH TO HIRING FRONTLINE STAFF Today, HR and hiring managers have access to an unprecedented
amount of data on applicants. However, the average frontline staff
turnover for the industry remains stubbornly at 25 per cent. With
the cost of placing and mobilising an employ ee estimated at being
around 20 per cent of that person’s annual salary, it’s clear human
resources and hiring managers need to go beyond the resume and
embrace a broader approach to recruiting their frontline staff.
Using values-based psychometric assessment tools to recruit fit-
for-purpose staff is a quick, cost-effective and minimally disruptive
intervention for an organisation meeting the challenge of a disrupted
sector. Effectively identifying risky applicants and poor performers
before they are employed has potential significant efficiencies for the
recruitment process, and tangible, long-term results.
With the sector still in the early stages of CDC, now is the time for
organisations to review and renew their methods of recruitment. As
growth in demand for staff in the care sector attracts a much higher
proportion of inexperienced applicants, embracing a values-based
approach to screening applicants is far more likely to deliver frontline
staff that are fit for purpose for the care sector.
Trump and his campaign team knew that a person’s values and
beliefs are a powerful predictor of behaviour, and this was a clear
factor in winning him the election.
The new, sixth-generation psychometric assessment tools available
provide an opportunity for organisations in the aged care sector to
harness the benefits of a values-based approach and take a leading
position in our new consumer-empowered environment. ■
With a staff member’s behaviour driven by their values and
beliefs, and the experience of clients directly impacted by the
staff member’s behaviour, it’s clear a values-based approach to
recruitment is going to identify staff who are fit for purpose to
work in aged care.
What is a values-based approach? It’s one that actively identifies
and encourages values such as empathy, compassion, respect,
integrity and friendliness; individual values shown to be hugely
beneficial when working with aged care clients and residents.
Staff members with these values greatly improve the experience
of residents, leading to improved client engagement and
relationships, and a significant reduction in the risk of complaint,
abuse and serious misconduct.
PSYCHOMETRIC SCREENING FOR FRONTLINE ROLES?
Psychometric assessments have generally been used within the
aged care sector for management and executive recruitment and
development; to gain insight into behaviour, style and fit to assist
hiring decisions.
Historically, there has been far less take up of assessments
for frontline roles. This was because many of the tools available
were not care-sector specific and were seen as costly and not
suitable for volume recruitment. In addition, because of the
range of education and literacy levels within the applicant pool,
psychometric testing was often not seen as appropriate for
frontline staff. These concerns are no longer valid.
PROVEN RESULTS OF A VALUES-BASED APPROACH
A values-based approach has been proven in numerous studies
to be more effective than the more traditional reliance on resume
LOOK BEYOND THE RESUME TO IDENTIFY THE RIGHT
CARE STAFF
Ross Bell is the director of Care Source Group and has more than
30 years of experience within the recruitment and consulting
sector and 10 years specifically within the aged care sector.
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